Past Buried, Giants Positively Confident

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have rid themselves of the negative attitude that troubled the franchise for more than two decades.

The 12-2 Giants entered the weekend one victory or one Washington loss away from the National Football Conference East Division title. The Giants`

last championship was in 1963, when they won the Eastern Conference but lost to the Bears in the National Football League championship game.

Since then, the Giants since have gained three wild-card playoff berths, all in the 1980s. But the current Giants consider wild cards for losers. They won`t be satsified until they get to Super Bowl XXI.

``There`s a lot of faith on this team,`` linebacker Lawrence Taylor said. ``I think we`re destined to do something great this year. We hope it`s in the Super Bowl.``

These Giants are a throwback to the strong defensive clubs that made the franchise one of the NFL`s jewels until the early 1960s. Their last NFL championship club of 1956 included Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli and Emlen Tunnell on a defense coached by Tom Landry. The offensive coordinator was Vince Lombardi.

The 1986 Giants, whose seven-game winning streak is the team`s longest since 1962, are led by perennial All-Pro Taylor, fellow linebackers Harry Carson and Carl Banks, and defensive ends George Martin and Leonard Marshall. The offense revolves around gutsy quarterback Phil Simms and Joe Morris, who is the first Giants` running back to put together consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

``We`re one of the few teams that right now can say they might be the best team in football.``

Bill Parcells, the coach who grew up as a Giants` fan in Oradell, N.J., warns his players that they have not won anything yet. But Parcells hates to hear of past failures.

``This is a new football team,`` he said. ``We have been to the playoffs three years in a row (counting 1986). We`re tired of all this negative stuff written about this franchise.

``They have a chance to go to the Super Bowl and none of this negative stuff is gonna get in the way.``

Instead, the Giants are feeling positive, with perhaps all the pieces to win a championship. Their strong points include:

-- The deepest group of linebackers in football. Their starting four of Taylor, Carson, Banks and Gary Reasons is considered one of the NFL`s best. Andy Headen, who replaces Reasons on passing downs, and Byron Hunt could start for most teams and youngsters Pepper Johnson and Robbie Jones have played well in limited roles.

-- An offensive line that has not had a starter miss a game because of injury. Guards Godfrey and Bill Ard, tackles Brad Benson and Karl Nelson and center Bart Oates have played together since early in the 1985 season, giving the linemen invaluable familiarity.

-- Leadership. Simms and defensive veterans Taylor, Carson and Martin believe they can win in any situation--and they remember the sting of defeats.

-- Management. Fortunes turned after owners Wellington and Tim Mara hired George Young as general manager in 1979. Young`s first coach, Ray Perkins, took the Giants to the playoffs in 1981 and Parcells has had them there in three of his four seasons.